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Max McCalman
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
At Picholine Restaurant in New York City, one block east of Lincoln Center, a guest turned away the suggested Port and asked for another wine-by-the-glass option. That small table-side correction helped set Max McCalman on a course where restaurant-floor judgment became a practice built on exact pairing, clear guidance, and close attention to what cheese does when it is matched well.
The Climb
At Artisanal Premium Cheese, Max McCalman serves as Maître Fromager and dean of curriculum, a pairing of roles that places selection and instruction under the same roof. The work asks for both control and fluency: sorting through a broad subject, then making it legible to others without flattening it. He is also Cheese Ambassador of Angry Orchard (Cider), provides Corporate Training for the Cheese Department of Whole Foods Market, and offers Corporate Training and consulting for Ruskin International, carrying that same method into service, retail, and broader trade settings.
Today
At the Artisanal Premium Cheese Center in New York City, Max McCalman is Dean of Curriculum, with cheese and cheese-and-wine pairing as the center of the work. The focus stays on texture, salt, and the match between bite and sip. In that frame, cheese is not just selected; it is read—cut, tasted, and paired with attention to how each element changes the next.
Signature
Max's signature dishes include The Cheese Plate, Cheese: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best, Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager, Max McCalman's Wine and Cheese Pairing Swatchbook, and The Max McCalman Cheese & Wine Pairing App. Read together, these works show the shape of his practice: part reference, part teaching aid, part field guide for better tasting. They also reflect a career spent bringing cheese into clearer view without stripping away what makes it worth studying.
In Their Words “I came up with a five-point spread, from +2 (a great match) to -2 (a disaster), with 0 being the neutral point (nothing lost, nothing gained).” “This began my quest for optimal pairings for all the fine cheeses I would encounter.”
Recognition
His honors include a James Beard Award. France’s Guilde Internationale des Fromagers designated him Garde et Juré, a credential that sits naturally beside his teaching and pairing work. Together, these recognitions mark a career built on expertise and on the steady shaping of a field he helped define, one pairing, one class, and one finely judged bite at a time.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Max
What is Max McCalman's current role?
As of 2026, Max McCalman is Dean of Curriculum.
What is Max McCalman known for?
Cheese.
What recognition has Max McCalman received?
James Beard Award.
